Method of straightening and reinforcing a block wall

ABSTRACT

A method of straightening a block wall having an inwardly bowed shape in a central region between an upper end and a lower end includes mounting a tensile member between the upper end and the lower end of the block wall. A tension force is applied on the tensile member to apply a compression force on the bowed block wall for a period of time until the bow in the block wall is straightened to a desired amount. Once the bowed block wall is straightened by a desired amount, a reinforcement member is applied to the straightened block wall.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a method of straightening andreinforcing a bowed block wall.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

This section provides background information related to the presentdisclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

A variety of walls and other structural elements are known to begenerally capable of supporting residential and light commercialstructures. Over time, however, such walls and structural elements cancrack, tilt, bow, or otherwise deform due to inherent weaknessesattributable to particular structural characteristics thereof.

For example, walls constructed of concrete blocks have excellentcompressive strength to support structures placed upon them. However,these walls are inherently weak with respect to lateral loads and areparticularly susceptible to cracking from water pressure, as the mortarjoints at which these walls are connected are weak in tension and tendto separate relatively easily when subjected to tensile forces.

Deformation, such as cracking, tilting, and bowing, if left untreated,can become progressively greater and eventually facilitate collapse ofan entire structural element with resultant damage to the structuresupported thereon. Several methods are known for treating suchdeformation. In particular, it is known to adhere a carbon fiberreinforcement material to a structural element that is bowed or cracked.A problem with reinforcing a bowed block wall that is caused by waterpressure is that the ground water can dissipate seasonally and releasethe tensile force on the wall allowing the wall to straighten to someextent on its own. For cracked or bowed walls that are reinforced withan adhered reinforcement member, the subsequent straightening of thewall places the reinforcement member in compression where thereinforcement member can pull away from the wall, thus requiring furtherrepair.

Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a method of firststraightening and then subsequently reinforcing a block wall having aninwardly bowed shape in a central region between an upper end and alower end that includes mounting a tensile member between the upper endand the lower end of the block wall. A tension force is applied on thetensile member to apply a compression force on the bowed block wall fora period of time until the bow in the block wall is straightened to adesired amount. Once the bowed block wall is straightened by a desiredamount, a reinforcement member is applied to the straightened blockwall.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the descriptionprovided herein. The description and specific examples in this summaryare intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended tolimit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only ofselected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are notintended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a bowed block wall having astraightening system according to the principles of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of a spring mechanism for applying a tensionforce to a tensile member according to the principles of the presentdisclosure as illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a reinforced block wall accordingto the principles of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a bowed block wall having analternative straightening system according to the principles of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a detailed view of an alternative spring mechanism forapplying a tension force to a tensile member according to the principlesof the present disclosure as illustrated in FIG. 4.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference tothe accompanying drawings.

Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will bethorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled inthe art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples ofspecific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thoroughunderstanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not beemployed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many differentforms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of thedisclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes,well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are notdescribed in detail.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularexample embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As usedherein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and“having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, butdo not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described hereinare not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance inthe particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specificallyidentified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood thatadditional or alternative steps may be employed.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,”“connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may bedirectly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element orlayer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast,when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engagedto,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another elementor layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Otherwords used to describe the relationship between elements should beinterpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directlybetween,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein,the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more ofthe associated listed items.

With reference to FIG. 1, a block wall 10 is shown including a bottomend 10 a that is laterally supported on an inward side by a concretefloor 12 and an upper end 10 b that is laterally supported on an inwardside by a sill plate 14, floor joists 16 and a rim joist 18 that areanchored to the top of the block wall 10. As illustrated in FIG. 1, acenter region 10 c of the block wall 10 is shown bowed inward in amanner that typically occurs when a large tensile force is exertedagainst a block wall due to ground water pressure “P”.

A wall straightening system 30 is shown for assisting in straighteningthe bowed wall 10 and for applying a temporary reinforcement thereof.The wall straightening system 30 includes a tensile member 32 that ismounted to the lower end 10 a of the wall 10 and to the upper end 10 bof the wall 10. The tensile member can be, for example, in the form of astrap, sheet, rope, cable, rod or plate or a combination thereof. Oneend 32 a of the tensile member 32 can be attached to a tensioning device40 that applies a tension force on the tensile member 32.The tensioningdevice 40 can be anchored to the sill plate 14 (as shown in FIG. 1), therim joist 18 (as shown in FIG. 4), a floor joist 16, the wall 10, theconcrete floor 12 or other adjacent structure. A second end 32 b of thetensile member 32 can be anchored to the wall 10 or other adjacentstructure such as the concrete floor, the sill plate, the rim joist or afloor joist.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the tensioning device 40 can include a base 42that can be secured, for example, to the sill plate 14. A cantileveredarm 44 has an aperture 46 for receiving a threaded rod 48 there through.The threaded rod 48 is attached to the upper end of the tensile member32 and has a second end that receives a spring 50, a washer 52 and a nut54 that can be tightened on the threaded rod 48 for loading the spring50 to apply a tension force on the tensile member 32.

With the wall straightening system 30 applied to the bowed wall 10, themethod according to the present disclosure includes maintaining thestrap under tension “T” for a period of time to allow the tensile memberto apply a compression force “A” vertically downwardly against the bowedwall 10 to tend to cause the tilted blocks to level out with respect toone another and assist the wall 10 in straightening. According to oneaspect of the method, measures can be employed to divert ground wateraway from the exterior of the wall 10 to aid in drying the soil toreduce the water pressure “P” on the exterior side of the wall 10 or aninstaller can leave the straightening system 30 on the wall 10 toreinforce the wall 10 until the ground dries due to seasonal change andthe wall 10 is allowed to straighten out as the exterior water pressureis reduced.

Once the wall 10 has straightened out to a desired amount, a wallreinforcement member such as a carbon fiber reinforcement grid 70 orother reinforcement member can be applied to the wall 10 to reinforceand maintain the wall in the straightened state, as illustrated in FIG.3.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 an alternative tensioning device 140 isshown mounted to a rim joist 18. The tensioning device 140 can include abase 142 that can be secured, for example, to the rim joist 18 by a pairof threaded rods 144. The pair of threaded rods 144 support a pair ofsprings 146 with a washer shaped spring seat 148 and a nut 150 that arecapable of loading the springs 146 to apply a tension force “T” on thetensile member 32 that is mounted to an arm 152. It should be understoodthat the tensioning device 40/140 can take on alternative forms ofapplying a tensioning force on the tensile member 32.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided forpurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or featuresof a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particularembodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be usedin a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described.The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to beregarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modificationsare intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

1. A method of straightening a block wall having an inwardly bowed shapein a central region between an upper end and a lower end, comprising:mounting a strap member between the upper end and the lower end of theblock wall with an upper end of the strap member being a surface of theupper end of the block wall and with a lower end of the strap memberbeing generally flush with a surface of the lower end of the block wall;applying a tension force on the strap member with an adjustable springmechanism to apply a compression force against the bowed block wall fora period of time until the bow in the block wall is straightened to adesired amount; and applying a reinforcement member to the straightenedblock wall.
 2. (canceled)
 3. The method according to claim 1, whereinthe spring mechanism includes a threaded rod and nut that load a springto apply the tension force to the tensile member.
 4. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the spring mechanism is mounted to a sillplate on a top of the block wall.
 5. The method according to claim 1,wherein the reinforcement member is adhered to the straightened blockwall.
 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the reinforcementmember is a carbon fiber mesh grid.
 7. (canceled)